Woodbridge

Woodbridge offers a good spread of places to stay for a town of its size, from country house hotels with spas and golf courses on the outskirts to characterful inns on Market Hill and family-run guest houses within a few minutes' walk of the river. Because the town centre is compact, almost anywhere in Woodbridge itself puts visitors within easy reach of the Tide Mill, the museum, the shops on the Thoroughfare and the passenger ferry crossing towards Sutton Hoo, so the choice tends to come down to style and budget rather than distance. Several properties occupy old Suffolk buildings, timber-framed inns and Tudor halls among them, giving even a short stay a strong sense of the area's history.

At the upper end, a handful of country house hotels set in their own grounds just outside town offer spas, golf and formal dining, appealing to those after a proper weekend away rather than simply a bed for the night. In the middle, Woodbridge's inns and boutique hotels combine comfortable rooms with well-regarded restaurants and bars, many of them right on Market Hill or the Thoroughfare, making it easy to eat well without booking a taxi. At the more modest end, family-run guest houses and bed and breakfasts, several with views over the River Deben, offer a warmer and more personal welcome, often at a noticeably lower price than the hotels, and are a good match for walkers, sailors and anyone visiting Sutton Hoo who wants a simple, well-kept room close to the station or the quay.

Woodbridge combines genuine historical weight with the simple pleasures of a small riverside town, and a short list of highlights barely does it justice.

• Woodbridge Tide Mill is one of only two working tide mills left in Britain, its wooden machinery still turning with the rise and fall of the Deben; the building on the waterfront dates back centuries and remains the town's defining landmark.
• Sutton Hoo, across the river and now in the care of the National Trust, preserves the royal ship-burial site where Anglo-Saxon treasure was unearthed in 1939, along with Tranmer House, a viewing tower and woodland walks over the burial mounds.
• The Longshed at Sutton Hoo lets visitors watch, and sometimes help, as volunteers build a full-size replica of the Sutton Hoo ship using materials and methods thought to be true to the original Anglo-Saxon craft.
• Woodbridge Museum, tucked behind Market Hill on the waterfront, tells the story of the town's shipbuilding, sailmaking and river trade through photographs and local objects, and is free to visit.
• Market Hill and the Thoroughfare form the heart of the town's shopping streets, lined with independent bookshops, a long-established department store and specialist food shops rather than national chains.
• The Riverside combines a cinema, theatre and restaurant on the quay, showing new films and live broadcasts of opera, ballet and theatre alongside food and drink overlooking the water.
• Sailing and walking the River Deben is one of the simplest pleasures here, whether that means watching dinghies race from the town quay or following the riverside path out towards Kyson Point and the marshes.
• Woodbridge's Thursday and farmers' markets bring stalls of local produce, plants and crafts to the town centre, a good way to pick up Suffolk cheese, meat and vegetables for a self-catering stay.

Woodbridge takes its food seriously for a town of its size, with an award-winning restaurant and pub scene built around Suffolk produce and the catch from the nearby coast. The Bull on Market Hill and the Unruly Pig nearby are both well regarded for cooking built on local and seasonal ingredients, while smaller cafes and tea rooms around the town, including long-standing spots on the Thoroughfare and near the quay, are well suited to a slower morning or afternoon. A proper deli on the Thoroughfare stocks Suffolk cheeses, cured meats and baked goods, and the town's butchers, fishmonger and greengrocer keep up a genuinely local supply chain rather than relying on supermarkets. The Woodbridge Farmers' Market, held on the second and fourth Saturday of the month at the Community Hall on Station Road, brings together local growers and producers, while a separate Thursday market on Market Square adds a weekly dose of fresh produce and street food to the town centre.

There is no campsite within Woodbridge itself, but the surrounding villages along the Deben estuary and the Suffolk Sandlings offer a good choice of touring, camping and holiday parks within a few miles of the town. Several sites make the most of this stretch of coast and river, with pitches set among parkland, farmland or woodland rather than housing estates, and a number geared towards exactly the unhurried, river-and-countryside stay that draws people to Woodbridge in the first place.

Facilities vary widely, from simple, adults-only touring pitches to large family holiday parks with lakes, golf courses and restaurants on site, so there is a genuine spread of options whether the plan is a quiet weekend under canvas or a more comfortable stay in a caravan. All three sites below are within around ten miles of Woodbridge, making them practical bases for exploring the town, Sutton Hoo and the wider Suffolk coast, while keeping costs well below those of a hotel room in town.